Trade Root Restaurant & Lounge, The Whitely Hotel

I’ve always wondered what the draw of hotel bars were… now I understand and acknowledge that the Whitley is on par with a few boutique SF AND NYC hotel’s I’ve stayed in. The bar is well laid out with the bathrooms right behind it and you can come and go from the bar to a separate lounge room to the main lounge area. A traditional French staircase leads to the second floor where there is more modern European art. The main lobby and was as the hotel bar have interesting contemporary Alice in Wonderland style of paintings. Now for the bar: cocktail menu is on par! The classics with a twist. Previously I had tried the Negroni (ordinary) and the scallops…. The scallops were absolutely delicious but the sides that came with it were bland especially the spinach. Words cannot express the combo of tenderness & flavor of the brisket, the sauce and the slightly not even spicy jalapeño ranch. My drink which was the Peachtree & Lenox was a great drink but strong! If there was less alcohol it would be an excellent aperitif. The service was slow in the beginning as no one came by to ask if I’d like to order a drink one of the woman on staff seemed as if she were purposely avoiding me. Once I went to the bar for water someone finally came over and took my order. After that it was pleasant. Definitely overpriced for drinks and appetizers however I am in a luxury hotel. Great ambiance with live musicians for a Tuesday night with a pop and r&b set list and covers. I’ll be back next Tuesday. Four stars for having to call for a server after sitting down for about 15 mins. No water, no napkin, no menu. It gets very busy at the bar on Tuesdays most likely because of the music and the crowd (mostly travelers for work and small groups.) So expect a wait of 10 mins for a server or a drink.

We were too tired to go out to eat so we order room service and y’all the food was on point! The ribeye was cooked perfect and they were able to substitute Asparagus instead of Brussels sprouts for me. We also ordered a side of Mac & Cheese and truffle fries both amazing! For dessert the brownie and vanilla ice cream hit the spot!

My husband and I decided on this restaurant purely for it location. The reviews were not great but we decided to go anyway. The food was really good, the desert was out of this world, the staff was attentive and kind. One of our waiters was “Memphis”, it was his first night but he was amazing. He was nice, talked with us, and backed off when he needed to. We will definitely be back!!!